


Won't You Come Around and Prove Me Wrong

by fairlylocaldreamer



Category: Twenty One Pilots
Genre: F/M, Happy Ending tho, Jebby - Freeform, it's kind of crappy but oh well, josh is sad n confused
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-21
Updated: 2019-01-21
Packaged: 2019-10-14 04:06:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,707
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17501243
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fairlylocaldreamer/pseuds/fairlylocaldreamer
Summary: Joshua Dun doesn't believe in love.Well, he did. At one point.But he doesn't anymore.(right?)





	Won't You Come Around and Prove Me Wrong

Joshua Dun doesn't believe in love.

he did, at one point. but that was before everything went to absolute hell.

see, when Josh was finishing high school, he fell for a girl. hard. he thought they were happy together. he loved her with a certainty he'd never felt before. he loved her so much that he saved for years, a couple coins and dollar bills here and there. working a minimum wage job at a music shop and trying to make it big with a band, money was pretty scarce. but he somehow managed to buy a ring.

he asked her to go on a date with him. she said yes, and he took her to dinner, then down to a riverside. he asked her to close her eyes. when she did, he reached inside his pocket, got down on one knee.

"okay, you can open them now."

she did. and stared at him.

"I love you so much. you're everything to me, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. will you marry me?"

she was crying, and Josh was so nervous he was shaking, and then- 

and then she shook her head. "no," she said between sobs. "I can't, Josh. I've been trying to tell you for so long. I'm gay. I'm sorry, Josh, I'm so, so, so sorry."

his world didn't crash down. it just kind of froze as she walked away, wrapping her arms tight around herself. he watched her leave, then turned to look at the river. with a finality, he threw her ring into the murky water, walked numbly home.

he decided he didn't believe in love.

 

Joshua Dun doesn't believe in love.

his bandmate, Tyler, is good-looking and connects with Josh in a way he's never experienced before. and maybe, in another universe, he'd fall in love with him. maybe Tyler would love him back.

but this isn't another universe, this is  _this_ universe, so Josh's feelings for his best friend never extend past a brotherly relationship.

and besides, Tyler gets a girlfriend. her name is Jenna and they're so perfect together even a blind person could see it. Tyler talks about her all the time. but Josh is not bitter. he loves seeing their love.

so maybe Joshua believes a little bit in love. just not for himself.

 

Joshua Dun doesn't believe in love.

it's something he's tried to convince himself of a lot lately. there's a girl now. her name is Debby and her smile does these weird things to his stomach and her laugh is the sweetest sound he's ever heard. he meets her and spends months trying to convince himself that she will just be a friend. he cracks sometimes in May and asks her out on a date. (she will not be permanent.) he takes her to a tree house, because for some odd reason she loves tree houses. there are candles and soft smiles and blushing and Josh does(n't) believe in love.

(he starts calling her his girlfriend later that month, though)

 

Josh knows it's bound to happen. he feels it, and he knows she feels it too. the distance between them is growing faster than they're able to mend it. for over a year, they made a long distance relationship work. then Debby asks him if they can talk, one day, and they both know what will happen. they handle it like adults, promise to stay friends, and Josh walks sad and heartbroken out of her apartment building, being once again reminded of how much he doesn't believe in love.

 

it's one of those nights when he's especially lonely. Tyler and Jenna, recently married, are still on their honeymoon in Hawaii, and Josh doesn't want to interrupt them by calling and whining about how much he misses a girl he shouldn't be missing.

he pulls up YouTube on his phone and types in, "Debby Ryan 21st birthday." he finds the video he's looking for and clicks on it, pulling the covers tighter around himself as he watches her friend's faces fill up the screen, wishing her a happy birthday.

"Debby... I'm in love with you." he watches himself say it, watches his own lips move but he's not really paying attention anymore. he wonders if being in love with someone is that same as loving them. if being in love with someone is simply loving the idea of them, not the person themselves.

he's not sure if he loved her, or if he loved the idea of her, and he's not sure he wants to go deeper down that road.

he's brought back to his dark bedroom when he hears her laugh coming from the screen. he shuts his phone off and squeezes his eyes together, suppressing the sting of his tears.

it doesn't matter. he doesn't believe in love anyway.

 

he's getting pretty used to being lonely. sometimes Tyler and Jenna go on dates and leave him alone on the tour bus and he has to find ways to distract himself, but it doesn't happen that often. then, at the end of the Blurryface tour cycle, they announce a hiatus and Tyler and Jenna go live their lives in Ohio, while Josh stays in LA with no one but his drums for company.

his anxiety gets a lot worse, too. he doesn't really know how to fix it. he talks to Tyler about it, but he seems stumped, and the only other person who could help him is not really someone Josh is sure he can talk to. despite their promise to stay friends, they'd drifted apart, like most exes do. (Josh still misses her.)

it's seems like the universe was listening to his thoughts, because a couple weeks into the hiatus his phone chimes with a text message from her. it's a simple, uncomplicated "hey" that sends him into an anxiety attack and he takes a good fifteen minutes before getting the guts to reply.

it spirals down from there. texts turn into phone calls, which turn into meeting up for lunch or grabbing dinner with some friends. she seems a little different, or maybe Josh doesn't remember him the same, but either way she's a welcome distraction and he likes spending time with her. (which is kind of dangerous but Josh doesn't care, because he doesn't believe in love anyway.)

she convinces him to get an ESA, an emotional support animal. it's a golden retriever puppy that he names Jim. he's a helpful little guy who doesn't mind Josh playing his drums at all hours of day and night (when he's not with Debby, that is.)

she falls asleep on him one night while watching a movie, and he doesn't have the heart to wake her up so they fall asleep on the couch together, waking up with their faces mere inches from each other's.

(Josh doesn't believe in love, so it didn't really matter)

(except it does.)

 

"what are we doing, Debby?" he asks her one day. it's nearly afternoon, and she's wearing one of his old hoodies and playing tug of war with Jim on the floor of his living room.

she stays quiet for a moment before finally admitting, "I don't know."

there are so many things he wants to say, but he doesn't know how to say them.

_give us another chance. I missed you. why is this so complicated? could we actually work? I think I love-_

"no! Jim, no! let go!" the puppy has lost interest in his piece of rope and latched onto the front of Debby's (well technically it's Josh's) hoodie, growling playfully and refusing to let go. Debby can't get a proper grip on the wriggling creature, so Josh wraps an arm around his dog, pulling him off. the sudden change in weight causes Debby to fall forward, landing in Josh's lap and half on top of Jim. he barks indignantly and wriggles away. Debby's laughing as hard as Josh is, and she's so beautiful it makes his heart ache, and he's not really aware that his hands are reaching forward, cupping her face until his lips are brushing hers and he completely freezes, not sure what to do next.

she's the one who leans forward and kisses him for real. they both pull away grinning, and Josh still isn't sure what they are or what they're doing, but he finds that he doesn't really care as she tangles her fingers in his hair and kisses him again.

 

when Debby posts a picture of them by a poolside on her Instagram, the picture immediately blows up.

"the clique is freaking out, dude," Josh comments as his phone begins buzzing non-stop.

"I know." Debby laughs as she snuggles deeper into his side.

Josh's phone dings with a text message. It's from Tyler, who has apparently seen the picture and only has one thing to say:

_well it's about time_

Josh takes a quick second to reply "shut up" before locking his phone and wrapping Debby up in his arms, placing a kiss on her cheek.

Joshua Dun  _might_ believe in love.

 

it's an impulse, really. he's at the mall, Christmas shopping for his family and friends, when he happens to glance at a jewelry shop and the next thing he knows, he's inside, looking at rings.

he wasn't even aware that he was thinking of proposing; it certainly hadn't been a solid plan. but if he thinks of the future, he imagines a house and a dog or cat, maybe kids, but most importantly, Debby.

the realization sends him into a panic and he leaves the store without buying anything.

he tries again a couple weeks later. he takes one of her many rings, one that he's seen on her ring finger, and heads out to find a store. everything shown to him is too flashy, or something that is so ridiculously un-Debby he knows she would hate it. he's nearly given up when he stumbles across a small store in a remote part of the city. figuring he might as well, he walks into the store, the small bell jingling above his head. he's just skimming displays when one ring in particular catches his attention.

it has a gold band, a rectangular diamond sitting on the center. when the light catches it, the stone gleams white and lavender and blue. he asks to see it. it's the exact size he needs to to be, so he buys it and is one his merry way home when he realizes it's the second engagement ring he's bought.

Jim has to help him calm down when he gets back to his apartment.

 

for some reason Josh has never really understood, Debby loves tree houses. she talks about them all the time, and watching her face light up when he takes her to one is the best thing in the world.

they're in New Zealand, on the Australian leg of the Bandito tour, when Josh finds a tree house. he knows, deep inside his gut, that it's the right place.

"dude," he says one night during dinner. they're on the couch of their hotel, watching a movie, takeout on their laps. "wanna go on a date tomorrow? we've got an off day and I've got something cool to show you."

"yeah, that sounds awesome." she takes her attention off the screen to smile at him, stretching up to place a kiss on his cheek. Josh guesses she didn't notice the way he was trembling all over.

 

he takes her to lunch at a cute restaurant the next day. after they finish eating, they walk to the tree house Josh found, their hands linked and swinging between them. the ring is a heavy weight in Josh's pocket.

she squeals when she sees the tree house, and Josh laughs and teases her about it while they climb to the top. (she's even more beautiful than the view.)

she leans over the railing, amazement painting her features. Josh gets on one knee behind her.

"dude."

she turns around, and the world slows down. Josh can hear every heartbeat, every breath his body takes. and, strangely enough, he is not nervous. he feels content and at peace, like what he is doing is the most right thing in the world. his lips curl into a smile so wide it hurts his cheeks.

"marry me?"

the world snaps back into motion.

"no way. no way!" she's laughing and tearing up, her hand over her mouth. (he's so in love.) Josh knows she means yes, so he gets up and slides the ring onto her finger before wrapping her in his arms, smiling at her like she's the best thing that's ever happened to him. (she is.)

"I meant to say yes, I promise," she's still laughing, and he wipes the tears away from her face. "I love you so much, dude. I love you so much."

(Joshua loves her more.)

 

"hello?"

the voice answering the phone is soft and brings back memories that used to hurt. Josh squeezes his eyes shut, feeling his anxiety skyrocket. (calling his ex-girlfriend seemed like a good idea before; now he's not so sure.)

"hey, it's Josh. Josh Dun? we dated back in high school."

there's rustling on the other end of the line. "oh, yeah. um. hi, how're you doing?"

"I'm good. um, you're probably wondering why I'm calling. I, uh, just got engaged."

"yeah, I saw that. it was all over twitter." she laughs, nervously. "Debby Ryan, right?"

he smiles just hearing her name. "yeah, that's her. she's a pretty cool dude." an awkward pause. "uhm, anyway, I'm getting married. and I wanted to know- if you want to- you could come? to the wedding."

there is silence. then, "why?"

Josh is expecting a yes or a no, so her question confuses him. "huh?"

"why, Josh?" she repeats. "I mean- I left you broken! I led you to believe we could have a future together- you even got me a ring, for Pete's sake! and I didn't even have the guts to say a proper goodbye or check up on you afterwards, I just grabbed my stuff and left like the coward I am. I made you miserable. so why, why would you invite me to the happiest day of your life?"

Josh's answer flows out of him with an ease he doesn't recognize. "because I want you there. you're such a cool human being, and I loved calling you a friend before I even  _thought_ about calling you my girlfriend. yeah, I was pretty miserable after you left. and maybe I stopped believing in love after that, but you know what? I believe in love again, and it's because of my fiancée, who also, by the way, made me miserable once upon a time. you and I just weren't right for each other, but I've got someone who makes me happy now and if you've got a girlfriend or someone that makes you happy, I'd love to meet them. so that's why."

there's more silence on the other end, and then she sighs. Josh can hear the beginnings of a smile. "wife, actually. not a girlfriend. we've been married for about a year."

Josh grins, even though she can't see him. "I'm sure she's a pretty cool lady, too."

 

their wedding is something out of a fairy tale. for Josh, at least it is. the person walking down the aisle towards him isn't who he imagined it would be 10 years ago, but Debby looks like an angel and Josh cries when he sees her.

they make their vows and Josh kisses her and everyone cheers. (they have to stop kissing because they're both smiling too hard.)

Josh meets his ex-girlfriend's wife (she is a cool lady, just like he predicted) and dances with his sisters and his mom. he hugs all his friends and holds his wife's hand and kisses her whenever he has the chance.

they board the plane for their honeymoon in Cairo, where Josh has always wanted to visit. Debby falls asleep on his shoulder. he plugs his headphones in and thinks about how full his heart feels.

Joshua Dun believes in love.

 

**Author's Note:**

> This is suuuuuuper crappy I'm sorry. I was debating on whether to use I Won't Say I'm In Love from Hercules or Prove Me Wrong from NPI for the title. guess which one I chose lol. Anyway, thanks for reading! leave kudos if you want, and have a great rest of your day/night/whatever.


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